Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson late Friday evening temporarily blocked a judge’s order that had directed the Trump administration to release November food assistance benefits in full the same day.
Jackson paused, for now, lower-court rulings that the Trump administration has resisted amid a legal battle over whether federal officials would deliver the funds for a program that is a vital lifeline for millions of people who rely on it to afford groceries.
Earlier Friday, the Trump administration had said it was working to release the benefits to comply with a judge’s order, suggesting that the money would indeed be disbursed. But the administration also asked the high court to halt that order, pushing to avoid releasing the funds as directed.